Deadline is reporting that the Bumblebee spinoff film, which is slated for a June 8, 2018 release date, has a director: Travis Knight. The only film Knight has directed to this point is the stop-motion animated feature, Kubo and the Two Strings, but the film was extremely well reviewed by audiences and critics alike with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement in Visual Effects at this year’s Academy Awards.
Knight’s other credits include being the lead animator for The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline. He is also the president and CEO of the animation company Laika.
This will mark the first live-action Transformers film without Michael Bay in the director’s chair. Bay recently wrote a letter discussing the possibility of Transformers: The Last Knight being his last time as a director in the franchise, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Christina Hodson, who wrote the script for 2016’s Shut In, was previously named as the writer of the upcoming spinoff, while Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay will be returning as producers.
Ash from Carolina
My problem with both the animated G1 movie and the later live action movies is that they have those really oh cool moments that you wouldn't mind seeing again but so many flaws that watching the whole film seems more like a chore than a joy.
GWolfv2
I think a story was told…a barely linear story with amazing levels of time wasting and a camera that makes the action almost unbearable…and some terrible scene transitions. Looking at other movies of the time it's just poorly poorly put together in comparison.
I find TF 1986 simple with basic 3 act structure, never adventurous but always comfortable. Conventions and conceits are well within the norm for the genre at the time, and in fact well ahead. Full of cliches an errors yes but I can trace the story from a to b to c. Transformers 2007 manages that structure but rathar than comfortable, it does it with the grace of a stallion desperately trying to buck you off. Not to mention the amount of just…atrocious dialogue. My abiding memory is that Optimus and Megatron talk to each other…and not a single line is in actual response to the one that preceded it. I thought at the time it was massively flawed. Since the others came out I'd say it's the most rewatchable but conversely is nowhere near the most enjoyable. The inability to keep the focus on the action/messy visuals really take away from areas that for all the rubbish Eren Kruger brought with him, the latter movies manage to improve on which is the amount of steady cam (or steadier cam anyway) and better framing of the fight scenes (at their worst though in ROTF where the clmatic battle is 30 seconds and mostly blocked by giant pillars).
Basically, for the time it was made I don't see how TF 86 could really have been made better. For it's times, there's dozens of ways 07 could be improved on. Ties into a theory I have of Bay making a 2004-5 movie in 2007…and then continuing to make that movie into 2014, while the "nerd" genre movies continually evolve and experiment in their delivery. Hence why Travis Knight is something for…veeeeeery cautious optimism….very cautious.
JoeHavok
I can still watch the 86 movie over and over again. While, I have no desire to watch Age Of Extinction or Revenge of the Fallen ever again. And I still think it's a better movie than Dark of the Moon or the 2007 movie.
Jochimus
Eh, I think the '86 movie and the '07 movie are pretty much on the same level in terms or quality or lack thereof.
That said, I'm all for fresh blood in the command seat for once. Just for that, this might be the first TF movie I actually pay to see and watch beginning to end – and who knows, maybe even more than once! – since '07.
Retroheavy
Coraline, Paranorman, Box Trolls and Kubo are among some of my all time favorite movies. This is great news! This guy could really breath some much needed life into our live action transformers.
Ash from Carolina
There are days when it seems like a tough choice. Both franchises that seem to say the heck with why you liked this stuff as a child. Two franchises that tend to take things way too serious for it's own good. Two franchises just wasting the villains when the villains should be a strong point of the franchises. Doing things with the camera to make what should be cool less cool. Both franchises have those long boring parts where you don't give a damn about the crazy convoluted plot just to have two characters beat the crap out of each other.
But I think I'd have to give Transformers an edge for at least having humor. It's not always good or even funny humor but at least when Transformers is attempting to be "dark", it's not grim, dark, gritty, no smiles, no hope, no joy ever. While both have been a series of bad films at least Transformers has those fun action moments. The only fun action moment out of DC lately was Batman in the warehouse fight.
Although I have my fingers crossed that Wonder Woman will give us something better than the pissing contest that the other DC movies were. I just can't build any hope for ever being able to enjoy movie Bumblebee.
GWolfv2
Eh. I first saw it in the early 00s as a late teen having never seen any tfs before and thought it was pretty good.
TFfanatic88
This is as much credibility drop as mentioning Rob Reiner and "North" in the same sentence.
dec0y13
Sadly, I agree as well. The core story and charactors have always been great. But the original show and movie are certainly not timeless lol
dec0y13
What!!??? Not Michael Bay!!! (It's long been my Theory, that Michael bay secretly employs exceptionally violent 11 year olds write the Transformers movie scripts and make executive editing decisions.)
Oh, Praise Primus!!! This is the first time I've been excited about a TF movie since before I found out what Bay was going to do the 2007 movie. (I would still MORE enjoy a full re-boot of the movie series with characters that look less like a walking pile of junk and a story that more closely follows the original cartoon, but I'll take what i can get
Kubo was Excellent! Knight did a fantastic job. I guess they wont be able to change BumbleBee's massive Ugly issue, (due to being a spinoff) but perhaps it will be one worth watching
Starscream Gaga
It's really not great.
JoeHavok
Wait a second!!! The first Transformers movie was awesome!!!! Then again that was the 1986 cartoon movie, not directed by Michael Bay. But, still. That movie is still great.
GWolfv2
I'd say the first movie is…better than the others and s long way from good. I'd also say like sixth sense and split does not mean you shouldn't look at a shamylan movie with utter trepidation. The rock is an ok movie but I'd argue that's despite bay rather than because of bay. As for travis the thing to consider is really how much executive/production meddling will hamper him. It is so weird how many of the potential directors are known for so not la tf quality movies.
moreprimeland
Hmmm… Michael Bay will still be a producer, so think again, it won't be Bayless.. but it'll be a new Knight.
John TheDestroyer
I haven't watched it yet, but apparently 13 hours is pretty good too.